Forensic psychiatrists have the tricky role of testing – or in some cases predicting – a suspect’s mental health. Personality profiles, as they are known, are inventories or dossiers which describe or predict a suspect’s pattern of behaviour. 

The analysts look at clues surrounding the crime to asses a suspect’s state of mind.  For example:

• How a perpetrator may have gained access to commit the crime
• How a victim was murdered. Violent, frenzied or irrational wounding, perhaps?
• Whether the suspect made any attempt to cover their tracks
• What attracted the subject to commit this particular crime?
•  Are there any clues in the time or location that may indicate a particular fantasy or obsession?

When viewed in the cold light of day, any of these signs can help draw up a reliable image of the perpetrator, even though their true identity may be completely unknown.